Aloes on the hills, wheat and sheep on the farms, trucks on the N2. Albertinia is a working farm town, and most of its pest problems start where the food is stored.
Albertinia's pest problems usually come from the farms around it: rats and mice in feed rooms, grain stores and sheds that move into houses when it cools down, weevils in stored grain and feed, flies around livestock, harvester termites in lawns and veld, and scorpions from the dry fynbos. We treat homes, farms, shops and businesses in and around the town, plan the trip from George ahead of time, and cover as much as we can in one visit. Inside homes we use odourless products that are safe for children and pets after they dry, with our 3-month guarantee on the work.
A farm town on the N2
Albertinia sits on the N2 between Mossel Bay and Riversdale, in dry, rolling country of fynbos, wheat lands and grazing. Aloes grow wild on the hills, and the aloe industry is part of the town's identity. Summers are hot and dry, winters mild, and the farms bring grain, feed and livestock right up to the edge of town.
Rodents and stored grain
Wherever grain and feed are stored, rodents follow. Rats and mice eat and foul feed, chew bags and pipes, and breed quickly in a quiet shed. As the weather cools, they move into farmhouses and town homes nearby. We set up tamper-resistant bait stations around feed stores, sheds and along the walls rats use, placed so farm dogs, livestock and children can't reach them, and show you where they're getting in.
Weevils, flour beetles and meal moths in stored grain and pelleted feed are a separate problem. Once they're inside bags and bulk stock, surface sprays don't reach them. Fumigation with a registered fumigant under gas-tight sheets does, and nobody goes into the store until it has been cleared and declared safe. Our stored product insects profile shows what to look for.
Flies and livestock
Sheep pens, cattle kraals, dairies and stables are fly nurseries, with manure, damp bedding and dropped feed everywhere, and in a hot Albertinia summer the numbers climb fast. On a farm, fly control begins with mucking out and sweeping up spilt feed twice a week or so; after that, the walls, beams and fences flies rest on are treated. See fly control.
Harvester termites
Bare, dead patches in lawns and veld, with small holes and soil heaps and grass cut into short pieces, are the work of harvester termites. Houses are safe from them, but a dry year can see a lawn or a grazing camp stripped bare. Treating the active foraging holes while the termites are feeding brings them under control. See harvester termites.
Scorpions, spiders and the fynbos
Dry fynbos and stony ground suit scorpions, including the thick-tailed kind whose sting needs medical attention. Brown button spiders live in sheds, garages and under outdoor furniture. Clear rubble, stone edging and stacked wood away from the walls, then treat the outside of the house and sheds, and numbers drop. See scorpion and spider control.
Homes and businesses in town
In town, it's the usual mix: German cockroaches in kitchens, ants after rain, mice in cupboards and fleas from the dogs. Shops, butcheries and takeaways on the main road have to keep pests in check to pass health inspections. Our commercial pest control contracts suit small businesses as well as larger ones.
A year of pests in Albertinia
Spring brings bee swarms looking for cavities and paper wasps starting new nests under the eaves, so that's the time to check walls, roofs and outbuildings. Summer is scorpion and fly season: hot nights bring scorpions indoors, and every kraal, bin and compost heap breeds flies. Late summer and autumn, after the harvest, is when grain and feed in storage are most at risk from weevils and moths, and when rodents start moving towards houses as the nights cool. Winter is quieter for insects, but rats and mice that moved in during autumn are now breeding in the roof. Planning a treatment just ahead of each of those turns does far more than reacting after the fact.
Getting to Albertinia
It's a fair distance from George to Albertinia, so we book visits ahead and we try to do the house, outbuildings and farm stores in a single trip. If neighbours or nearby farms need treatment too, booking on the same day spreads the travel cost.
What it costs
Town house or farm makes the biggest difference, followed by the number of buildings and stores, the pests, any stored product that needs fumigating, and how far out you are. Travel is part of the price. A town house with mice in the kitchen is a small job. A farm programme covering feed stores, sheds and the farmhouse is bigger. You'll get a quote once we know the scope.
We also work in Mossel Bay, Riversdale and Stil Bay, and how we work on farms is set out under farm pest control. Ring 044 012 5011 or request a farm or home visit.
Frequently asked questions
Do you service Albertinia?
Yes, homes, farms and businesses in and around town. We book ahead and cover everything in one trip.
What's the answer for weevils in a grain store near Albertinia?
Phosphine fumigation under gas-tight sheets reaches the weevils inside the kernels, where sprays can't. Nobody goes into the store until it's been cleared.
The farm dogs roam everywhere. Is rodent bait safe?
The bait sits inside tamper-resistant stations, placed so dogs, livestock and children can't get at it.
What's cutting the grass into short pieces?
If there are small holes and little soil heaps too, it's probably harvester termites. They can be treated while they're out foraging.
Can nearby farms share a visit?
Yes. Booking together spreads the travel cost and treats neighbouring properties at the same time.
When are scorpions worst around Albertinia?
On warm summer nights, when they hunt. Check shoes and bedding, keep beds off the walls and keep rock piles away from the house.